Practice solidarity, subsidiarity, Pope encourages Italian mayors

Meeting on March 12 with representatives of an association of Italian mayors, Pope Benedict XVI emphasized two pillars of Catholic social teaching: solidarity and subsidiarity.

In his remarks to the mayors, the Pope applied these principles to several public issues, including the pressing question of how to cope with rising immigration. He argued that “solidarity must be associated with respect for the law,” and acknowledged that the community should uphold its own standards and traditions while making room for new arrivals.

Regarding the role of Catholicism in public life, the Pope said that “the Church seeks no privileges, but wishes only to be able to perform her mission freely.”

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